ClearSound Productions chooses Electro-Voice XLD

May 19th, 2011

Acky Polichroniadis, Managing Director of ClearSound Productions in Melbourne, Australia, has used Electro-Voice equipment for the past 25 years – in both his personal and professional life. Recently, ClearSound Productions purchased their first Electro-Voice XLD281 line array system.

The decision to purchase the XLD system came from a number of experiences with the product. “Several years ago I needed to make a decision on which direction to take the business,” Acky explains, “the major consideration being the purchase of high-end speaker systems. The introduction and increasing popularity of line arrays put all this on hold. Fortunately, I have had the opportunity to mix on many different line-array systems, which has provided me with insight into how most of the high end systems sound.

“In early 2010, I had the opportunity to use the XLD system at the Rainbow Serpent Festival, with the system running for days playing dance music,” he continues. “A couple of months later, I used an XLD system at Costa Hall in Geelong with Glenn Shorrock. I was so impressed with the XLD on both of these events; it delivered the horsepower for the dance festival and the clarity and definition for a live band in a theatre. The final clincher was when the MC came up to me at Costa Hall just before showtime, and told me he was going to use a lapel microphone because he needed his hands free to hold papers. I had already sound checked the band and had no idea how that was going to turn out. A quick check on stage, a little equalization at the desk channel, and it sounded great. This convinced me how good the XLD system really is.”

ClearSound purchased their 16-box XLD system in November 2010, and made its debut at an outdoor gig in Coburg in suburban Melbourne. Electro-Voice representative Peter Altis was on-hand to ensure it all ran smoothly. The result, according to the organizer, was the best sound that they have ever had, confirming the XLD as the right choice.

Acky adds, “Now, having used the system several times with the new Electro-Voice Dx46 processor with FIR-drive, it sounds better than ever. The prediction software for the XLD is fantastic. The translation between the computer-generated plot and real life is extremely accurate. The sound we achieve after setting up the system is exactly how the prediction software tells us it will sound. This makes for easier and quicker setups. We’ve never had the need to bring the rig down to re-adjust – every time we’ve flown the system it has stayed up. Finally, the sales and technical support provided to us has been beyond our expectations; that was a big contributing factor to our purchase decision.”

The XLD series has been in the marketplace for five years and continues to win new friends, with over 300 cabinets in the Australian marketplace. The XLD is noted for its robustness and sonic purity, as well as one of the quickest and simplest fly systems in the industry. XLD cabinets can be run in either bi-amped or tri-amped mode. (ClearSound’s system is tri-amped).